Warriors join short list of legends following NBA Finals sweep
By Jelani Scott
Since the NBA Finals began in 1947, there have been 71 champions and, of those, only eight champs could definitively say they were the best team for four straight games. On Friday night, the Golden State Warriors topped the Cleveland Cavaliers to become the ninth team in NBA history to stake such a claim.
Dominant is a word often used to describe how the Golden State Warriors handle their opponents. Some may say they’re exciting, others might mention that they’re relentless; heck, some might even proclaim they’re just unfair. But, after Friday’s big 108-85 win against LeBron James and the Cavs, “champion” is once again the most accurate term to bestow upon this team.
Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant (your 2018 Finals MVP by the way), Klay Thompson and Draymond Green managed to lead this team through another year of injuries, series deficits and improved rosters league-wide and come out on the other side victorious.
Though most of Dub Nation probably never doubted the outcome following an exhausting Game 1, the fashion in which the Dubs dispatched King James and his “not-so-merry men” still comes as a bit of a surprise. No need to recap what the Dubs did in Games 2 and 3 (you can see for yourself) but their Game 4 performance was another animal entirely.
Aside from the 23-point win, the Warriors drained 14 3-pointers, made all 16 of their free throw attempts and tallied 13 (!) blocks. In short, it made my dad text me “GSW made that look so easy” immediately after the game so that’s all you really need to know honestly.
Not since the 2007 San Antonio Spurs (more on them in a moment) has a team stepped up and swept through the NBA Finals. This feat comes with an extra cherry on top due to the fact that the win brought not only the franchise’s sixth title but also this core group’s second straight ring.
The 2017-18 Warriors and their legendary showing in these finals will now join a list already filled with men who’s names already or will soon adorn the shiny walls in Springfield, Ma. In case you’ve been wondering which squads are making room for the Dubs to have a seat at the table, allow me to alleviate your wait:
1959: A young Bill Russell in just his third season leads the Boston Celtics (1) to their 2nd title in three years in a sweep against a rookie Elgin Baylor and the Minneapolis Lakers (2).
1971: The dynamic duo of veteran Oscar Robertson and young phenom Lew Alcindor lead the Milwaukee Bucks (1) to a sweep over Earl Monroe and the Baltimore Bullets (1).
1975: Rick Berry, Jamaal Wilkes and the Golden State Warriors (1) secure the franchise’s third ring after beating the Washington Bullets, led by Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld (2).
1983: Julius Erving wins his first and only title with Philadelphia 76ers (1) after they swept Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers (1).
1989: The Detroit Pistons (1) punish the Los Angeles Lakers (1) in a sweep to give the “Bad Boys” their first of back-to-back titles.
1995: Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets (6) handle a young Orlando Magic (1) squad that featured a Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway (biggest what-if ever) to win their 2nd straight finals.
2002: The Los Angeles Lakers (3) cement the “Kobe/Shaq” dynasty with their third straight title after sweeping Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets (1).
2007: Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs (3) beat (down) the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the championship.
Not to add salt to the wound but the omission of details on the ’07 Spurs win was done on purpose. Sorry, Cleveland but it bears repeating that the Warriors’ win over a 33-year-old LeBron makes them the second team to sweep his team after the Spurs beat a 22-year-old one 11 years ago.
San Antonio was in the midst of a dominant stretch, winning their third title in five years, and, with this ring, Golden State has now won their third in four years.
This collection of talent already sparked talks of “dynasty” back when they were officially assembled in 2016 but could this go down as something even bigger? This never-ending debate will continue to be just that but we can get back it once the weekend’s out.
Enjoy the champagne, fellas! You deserve it!